Status and recent development in stored product protection in Denmark

Abstract

Situated in the northern temperate region, Denmark has relatively few problems with stored product pests. In grain stores the major pest is the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius. No recent surveys have been conducted, but it is considered to be widespread throughout the country. Other insect species are occasionally found in grain stores as well. Pests only rarely develop high densities in grains stores, partly due to the fact that grain is cooled to a target temperature of 5°C as soon as possible after harvest. The main problem occurs when live insects are found in grain that has been loaded into a ship prior to export, in which case fumigation is necessary. However, this situation can easily change soon, as the last insecticide for direct treatment of grain, malathion, is no longer available in Denmark. The only options now are fumigation with hydrogen phosphide or treatment with inert dust. In addition, possible future climate change with higher temperatures and higher humidity will probably lead to increased problems due to pests. The pests found in other stored products in the processing chain are similar to the rest of Europe, as temperature and humidity conditions are less correlated with out door conditions.